Tri County Tech

PROJECT PURPOSE

Prior to the pandemic, Oklahoma needed to increase qualified nurses by 40% to meet demand. COVID has worsened the situation resulting in the increased departure of seasoned nurses. Many of the local reasons are 1) burnout due to patient load/stress 2) Leaving for higher-paying traveling jobs and 3) witnessing COVID effects on patients. In February alone, Jane Phillips Hospital, in Washington County, had an unmet need for at least 45 nurses. Additionally, because of COVID restrictions, clinical sites are increasingly difficult to find for students. To mitigate this, Tri County Tech is requesting $1,625,858 This project would address both by: (1) Increasing Tri County Tech?s LPN graduates by 25 to 33% within 30 months and doubling the graduates by 10 year by offering an evening cohort. Increased LPN program capacity would allow more qualified students to find schedules to better suit their needs. Day-time childcare is a significant roadblock to many of our students, and an evening cohort would allow flexibility for those students. (2) Expanding on-site patient simulation capacity to better replicate hands-on training typically obtained at in-person clinical sites. COVID restrictions have diminished the number of available clinical sites. On-site, state-of-the-art patient simulators help replicate these experiences.

EVIDENCE

Because of: 1) Impact of COVID-19 on the staffing needs of healthcare systems, 2) Early retirements from nursing, and 3) the aging population within our nation and our state, more nurses are needed in our area. Also, access to clinical sites has been impacted because of COVID restrictions or required isolations. Per the Oklahoma Board of Nursing, Simulations can make up 30% of missed clinical time. Largely, students learn better hands-on, and simulations can enhance their learning and skills.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

Tri County Tech serves a majority rural area throughout Washington, Nowata, and Osage counties. All three counties have high below the poverty line rates and low per capita income (Washington: 11.9%, $20,250; Nowata: 14.1%, $14,244; Osage: 13%, $21,797), and therefore are highly susceptible to sudden economic downturns such as the one created by the COVID-19 pandemic. On the Governor?s Dashboard of Metrics, Oklahoma ranks 30th nationwide in degrees and certifications. Our proposal will add 12-16 new certified LPN graduates annually within Tri County Tech?s geographic region in 30 months, with an ultimate goal of 44 new graduates in 10 years. The most recent annual average wage of Tri County Tech?s LPN graduates is $44,720. Tri County Tech?s affordable tuition coupled with Tri County Tech Foundation?s commitment of ensuring that no student is denied an education due to their inability to pay, adult students can complete the LPN program with an average total cost of just $1,900. This allows us to serve a population in which continuing education would be financially not feasible.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

The project goal is to double the number of qualified LPN graduates, through increased capacity with an evening program, offering alternative class times. Tri County Tech, a recipient of the 2018 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, utilizes the Baldrige Excellence Framework and Key Performance Indicators benchmarked against other top Career Techs to measure the program quality. Those KPIs include student graduation rate, certification rate, job placement rates in relevant career fields and average adult wage for graduates. Tri County has established student, training, and career tracking methods in place to study the KPIs on a semi-annual basis to monitor for improvements.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma